Conservatives kick out Cambridge lawyer Jim Karahalios from Conservative leadership race for second time

NewsMay 22, 2020Waterloo Region Record

The Conservative Party of Canada has kicked Cambridge lawyer and gadfly Jim Karahalios out of the federal leadership race — again.

Karahalios, who is married to Conservative MPP Belinda Karahalios, was kicked out from the leadership race in March after his campaign sent out an email that criticized the campaign chair of one of his rivals, Erin O’Toole.

He fought that decision in court, and recently won a partial victory when the Ontario Superior Court threw out that disqualification, saying only the party’s Leadership Election Organizing Committee (LEOC) was able to disqualify leadership hopefuls.

“With that guidance in mind, and after a thoughtful meeting to deliberate the circumstances around the Chief Returning Officer’s decision in regards to Mr. Karahalios’ conduct, the LEOC has determined that Mr. Karahalios will be disqualified from the Leadership election.”

The move leaves four candidates in the running for the leader’s job: former ministers O’Toole and Peter MacKay, backbencher Derek Sloan and Leslyn Lewis, who ran and lost in the 2015 election. Party members will choose the new leader by mail-in vote, sending ballots in by Aug. 21.

Conservatives kick out Cambridge lawyer Jim Karahalios from Conservative leadership race for second time

NewsMay 22, 2020Waterloo Region Record

The Conservative Party of Canada has kicked Cambridge lawyer and gadfly Jim Karahalios out of the federal leadership race — again.

Karahalios, who is married to Conservative MPP Belinda Karahalios, was kicked out from the leadership race in March after his campaign sent out an email that criticized the campaign chair of one of his rivals, Erin O’Toole.

He fought that decision in court, and recently won a partial victory when the Ontario Superior Court threw out that disqualification, saying only the party’s Leadership Election Organizing Committee (LEOC) was able to disqualify leadership hopefuls.

“With that guidance in mind, and after a thoughtful meeting to deliberate the circumstances around the Chief Returning Officer’s decision in regards to Mr. Karahalios’ conduct, the LEOC has determined that Mr. Karahalios will be disqualified from the Leadership election.”

The move leaves four candidates in the running for the leader’s job: former ministers O’Toole and Peter MacKay, backbencher Derek Sloan and Leslyn Lewis, who ran and lost in the 2015 election. Party members will choose the new leader by mail-in vote, sending ballots in by Aug. 21.

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Conservatives kick out Cambridge lawyer Jim Karahalios from Conservative leadership race for second time

NewsMay 22, 2020Waterloo Region Record

The Conservative Party of Canada has kicked Cambridge lawyer and gadfly Jim Karahalios out of the federal leadership race — again.

Karahalios, who is married to Conservative MPP Belinda Karahalios, was kicked out from the leadership race in March after his campaign sent out an email that criticized the campaign chair of one of his rivals, Erin O’Toole.

He fought that decision in court, and recently won a partial victory when the Ontario Superior Court threw out that disqualification, saying only the party’s Leadership Election Organizing Committee (LEOC) was able to disqualify leadership hopefuls.

“With that guidance in mind, and after a thoughtful meeting to deliberate the circumstances around the Chief Returning Officer’s decision in regards to Mr. Karahalios’ conduct, the LEOC has determined that Mr. Karahalios will be disqualified from the Leadership election.”

The move leaves four candidates in the running for the leader’s job: former ministers O’Toole and Peter MacKay, backbencher Derek Sloan and Leslyn Lewis, who ran and lost in the 2015 election. Party members will choose the new leader by mail-in vote, sending ballots in by Aug. 21.